HomeToGo and SQUAKE partner for 14Trees project
Germany: Vacation rental marketplace HomeToGo has partnered with SQUAKE, an end-to-end climatetech solution for sustainable travel, to offer travellers a new product solution that allows them to compensate for the carbon emissions associated with their vacation rental stays.
The newly integrated solution from SQUAKE both educates HomeToGo travellers and empowers them to make more environmentally responsible travel decisions.
Integrated seamlessly into HomeToGo’s booking process, SQUAKE’s solution calculates an individual vacation rental booking’s carbon emissions in real time and offers travellers the option to compensate for these emissions when booking their trip. To achieve compensation accuracy, SQUAKE has built a unique calculation algorithm specifically for the vacation rental industry that is based on a number of travel-specific input factors such as destination, vacation rental size, number of people travelling and more.
The partnership between SQUAKE and HomeToGo is designed to provide an accessible first step for those looking to reduce their impact on the planet while travelling, a preference uncovered in a March 2023 HomeToGo survey [out of 3000 participants aged 18-65] in which 46 per cent of travellers stated that they were interested in travelling more sustainably but were not sure where to begin. SQUAKE’s carbon compensation solution is now available on hometogo.com and hometogo.co.uk, with additional rollout to follow.
The compensation collected will directly contribute to the development of 14Trees, a unique environmental project that builds 3D printed affordable housing in Malawi, therefore aligning with both the UN Sustainable Development Goals and HomeToGo’s vision to make vacation homes accessible to everyone. 14Trees creates sustainable housing through an innovative technology that produces construction bricks from material sourced on site [soil, sand, cement, and water], avoiding the destruction of 14 trees per house built.
More details on the 14Trees project can be found here.
Philipp von Lamezan, co-founder and CEO of SQUAKE, said: “Today’s product launch with HomeToGo is an important step forward in providing travellers with a solution that helps align their booking behaviours, personal values and desire to take action towards protecting the environment. We are very proud to see the power of our technology serving SQUAKE’s core purpose to radically unlock more sustainable travel, and thank the HomeToGo team for this valued partnership.”
Dr Patrick Andrae, co-founder and CEO of HomeToGo, said: “HomeToGo is proud to be the first in the vacation rental space to partner with SQUAKE to empower travellers to make more environmentally educated choices. This collaboration marks our progression towards building a greener travel industry.
“Though the travel market has a long way to go, enabling HomeToGo travellers to offset the emissions associated with their bookings is a step in the right direction.
“Looking ahead, we’re excited to explore more ways in which we can further educate our guests, help them travel more sustainably, and protect our planet so travellers can explore the world for generations to come,” he added.
Founded in 2021, SQUAKE is an industry solution for sustainable travel and logistics. It includes a single API plug-in to power precise carbon calculations for all types of activity [e.g. air, road, sea, accommodations, warehousing] according to national and international standards, as well as automating carbon reduction and / or compensation along the purchase flow.
The Berlin-based startup secured €3.5 million in seed funding just last month, in a round that saw participation from Lufthansa, Neosfer, Rivus Capital, Simon Capital, BackBone Ventures and Schenker Ventures. It took SQUAKE’s total funding to date to around €5 million.
HomeToGo, which was founded in 2014, operates localised apps and websites in 25 countries, and is also listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
In May, HomeToGo announced plans for the launch of HomeToGo Modes, a new line of curated search experiences that are being created to make it faster, easier and more convenient than ever for travellers to find their ideal vacation rental.
